House of the Dragon continues to build toward the eventual Targaryen Civil War. In episode 7, King Viserys and the rest of the Targaryen family gathered at Driftmark for Lady Laena’s funeral. Notably, Rhaenyra and Daemon intimately rekindled their relationship, and Aemond claimed Vhagar as his dragon. Many such crucial moments in the episode took place outside the night of the funeral, and some fans were outraged by the lack of light in those scenes, making them difficult to see. These upset fans voiced their complaints about House of the Dragon and HBO Max on Twitter.
One such fan named Stephen, who goes by the user name @zephyr757, tweeted his concerns at the HBO Max Twitter account. Demanding an “apology” for episode 7’s visual presentation, he actually received a respsonse. However, there was a method to the lighting decision, and HBO Max shared the reason on Twitter.
Hi Stephen! We appreciate you reaching out about a night scene in House of the Dragon: Episode 7 appearing dark on your screen. The dimmed lighting of this scene was an intentional creative decision. Thanks! ^LL
— HBOMaxHelp (@HBOMaxHelp) October 3, 2022
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This wouldn’t be the first time viewers complained about the lighting in a George R.R. Martin show. In the eighth season of Game of Thrones, the Battle of Winterfell received immense criticism for the nighttime fight between the Army of the Dead and the Army of the Living. Once again, many fans complained that it was hard to see what was happening. Fabian Wagner, the cinematographer for the battle, urged fans to turn off the lights in the room while watching.
Make no mistake, the scenes with Rhaenyra, Daemon, and Aemond were very dark. Whether they were unwatchable is up to the viewer. With luck, future battles in the Targaryen Civil War take place during the day to avoid lighting issues.
The eighth episode of House of the Dragon airs Sunday, October 9, at 9pm on HBO.
Did you have issues with the lighting in episode 7? Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
Recommended Reading: The Rise of the Dragon: An Illustrated History of the Targaryen Dynasty, Volume One
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